ABOUT SARAH

Sarah is a freelance journalist with many years' experience writing about fashion and retail and working with Colin McDowell. She currently divides her time between London and Dublin, looking out for interesting boutiques, road-testing beauty products and concluding that there's no such thing as a 'must-have'. So you won't find any must-haves here. What you'll find instead is an independent take on style and fashion, a reminder that style exists beyond London (as well as in London, natch) and a hymn to the importance of great coffee while shopping.

Tuesday, 10 January 2012

Lip service from YSL

The best bit about Saturdays as a teenager was buying a new lipstick. I've mentioned before how this mainly involved hours in Miss Selfridge, stocking up on Running Bare and other pale frosted delights. I may have moved on from Miss Selfridge, but the lipstick obsession has stayed with me, and I stockpile as many different colours, types and textures as I can. Recent standouts are Chanel's Rouge Allure Velvet – wonderful pigments, classic shades – and Guerlain's Rouge G is hard to beat, in its bullet-shaped silver case with integral mirror. And this month, exclusively at Selfridges, and Brown Thomas Dublin, a great new lip line has landed: YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain(£22.50). I'm pretty fussy about lipstick, but I reckon this is the best new formula for a fair old while. There are 20 shades, from rich sultry raisin browns to light nudes and beiges – with this fabulous orange (above), a key colour for the season, somewhere in the middle. And they have a unique light texture: not too sticky, not too glossy, but pigment-rich and long-lasting. One coat gives a subtle stain, the second a richer finish and sheen. So they're both glam and easily wearable – love the chic little square bottle, too. Creative director Lloyd Simmonds is bringing a dynamic edge to YSL beauty right now, with fabulous colours and the latest technology: these, for example, harness polymers usually used to make food look glossy! While you're at the counter, check out YSL's newest skincare range, Forever Youth Liberator, which includes an excellent serum and a rich day cream that's ideal for winter months. Though you may not necessarily associate YSL with luxe, efficacious skincare, this could change that perception. Just launched this month, also in Selfridges and Brown Thomas exclusively.

2 comments:

Sarah thanks for the heads up on all those lipsticks. For a person who uses minimal amounts of make up I seem to have an inordinate number of lipsticks - so may well be tempted to add one of these to my *collection*